LA Rams TE Gerald Everett catches everything, except a break

LA Rams TE Everett catches everything thrown his way. But the veteran tight end cannot catch a break

LA Rams veteran tight end Gerald Everett is one of the best seldom-used offensive weapons in the NFL. While he sees plenty of on-field action, he is notoriously overlooked as a receiver by the Rams offense.  From the moment he arrived in the NFL in 2017, each season has been a series of Magic 8-ball games where fans ask whether he would finally have his NFL break-out game before each game. And the response after each game never changed from ‘Try Again Later’.

His big breakout game seemed to happen in October 2019 against the Seattle Seahawks, as Everett hauled in seven of 11 passes for 136 yards in a losing effort.  He fell back to obscurity the next week, catching two of five passes for just nine yards against the San Francisco 49ers.
Everett hyperextended his knee while blocking against Baltimore Ravens Matt Judon, and was limited in play for the remainder of the season.  Of course, as luck would have it, his teammate Tyler Higbee turned on the jets in December 2019, putting up 522 yards to turn the spotlight to him. And it remains there to this day.

Everett doing everything right, except getting targetted

Gerald Everett is 6-foot-3 and 240-pounds. He is everything the Rams, or any NFL team, could want in a tight end. He can catch a pass, he can block very well, and he can even rush occasionally, and will put up strong enough number to threaten the defense any time he lines up in the backfield.  Historically, he has been a modestly effective receiver, catching balls thrown his way at a rate of just better than 60 percent.

In 2020, Everett is playing on the last year of his current contract. That last year is typically when players make a huge leap forward. To Everett’s credit, this year he is catching the ball at a rate of nearly 85 percent and putting up over 15 yards per reception, and 12.9 yards per target. All of these are career highs, by a significant improvement. But after six games, he’s been thrown to for only 13 times, putting him on pace to be targetted no more than his rookie season.